Snubbed bolster truck



Dec 11, 1951 L. A. LEHRMAN SNUBBED BoLsTER TRUCK Filed Dec.

2 SHEETS- SHEET 1 IN V EN TOR.

Dec- 11, 1951 1 A. Ll-:HRMAN SNUBBED BOLSTER TRUCK 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Filed Dec. l, 1945 Y 10@ 1241.. 1gb 126 124 146 INVENTOR.

@ff/@gi @WMU Patented Dec. 11, 1951 1 SNUBBED BOLSTER TRUCK Leo A. Lehrman, Chicago, Ill., assignor to American Steel Foundries, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of New Jersey Application December 1, 1945, Serial No. 632,218

12 Claims. l

My invention relates to railway car' trucks and more particularly to a truck incorporating a stabilizing device by means of which frictional control is afforded of the oscillations of the bolstersupporting spring group.

An object of my invention is to design a ride control truck comprising side frame and bolster members, one of said members incorporating a snubbing or stabilizing device comprising friction shoes and control means associated therewith for urging the same into substantially constant frictional engagement with friction surfaces on the other member.

A specic object of my invention is to design a truck such as above described wherein friction shoes are pocketed in opposite sides of the bolster in wedge engagement with Wedge means in the bolster, said shoes being urged into frictional engagement with the adjacent side frame columns by said wedge means under the influence of at least one resilient member underv compresssion between said wedge means and the bolster.

In one modification I have illustrated a resilient member and wedge member associated with each shoe for actuating the same, and in another modification I have illustrated a resilient member and wedge member associated with both shoes.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary side elevation of a railway car truck embodying my invention, the View being shownA partly in section in order more clearly to illustrate the arrangement of the fric-` tion parts, said sectional View being' taken' approximately in the longitudinal vertical plane biseating the side frame as indicated by the line I-I of Figure 2;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary top plan View of the structure shown in Figure l with the side frame shown in section through the columns;

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken vin the transverse vertical plane indicated by the line 3-3 of Figure l;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary side elevation of a railway car truck comparable to that shown in Figure 1 illustrating a modified form of my invention, the View being shown partly in section taken in the longitudinal Vertical plane bisecting the side frame as indicated by the line 4*-4 of Figure 5; and v Figure 5 is a fragmentary top plan View of the structure shown in Figure 4 with the side frame shown in section through the columns.

Referring first to the modification illustrated in Figures 1-8, the side frame is of well known truss type having the compression member 2, the tension member 4 merging with spaced columns 6, Ii extending therebetween and defining therewith a bolster opening 8 having a widened lower portion I0 for a purpose hereinafter described.

The tension member 4 is of conventional box section with the top chord thereof affording a seat as at I2 (Figure l) for the bolster-supporting coil springs diagrammatically indicated at I4, I4. The tension member is formed with an upstanding ange I5 on the nboard and on the outboard sides thereof to afford convenient confining means for the lower ends of the springs I4, I4. The upper ends of the springs I4, I4 afford a seat as at IB (Figure 1) for the bolster generally designated ZI).

The bolster is of box section with the end portion having top and bottom walls 22 and 24 merging with side walls 26 and 28 and spaced inboard and outboard transverse walls 3@ and 32 and the longitudinal center rib or wall 34, said top and bottom walls and said transverse walls 39 and 32 and said center rib 34 defining a pocket 36 in each side of the bolster end, the side walls being cored away intermediate the walls Si! and 32. The bolster II! may have at each side thereof the inboard and outboard gibs 38 and 40 for interlocking engagement with the adjacent column 5, and it will be noted from a consideration of Figure 1 that the outboard gibs 40, 4I) are of less depth thanv that of the widened lower portion of the bolster opening, whereby upon elevation of the bolster` and removal of the springs I4, I4 from the side frame, the bolster may be lowered in said opening and removed therefrom while the bolster and the associated friction means remain in normalV assembled relationship.

A friction shoe generally designated 42 is disposed in each pocket 36 and comprises a friction Wall 44 in frictional engagement as at 46 with a wear plate 48 mounted on the adjacent side frame column 6 in any convenient manner, such as by welding. The friction shoe also comprises a bottom wall 50 and a diagonal wall 52 extending between and merging with said walls 44 and 50, said bottom wall having a horizontal surface 54 in complementary engagement as at 56 with the bottom wall 24 of the bolster, and said diagonal wall sloping upwardly toward the adjacent column 6 and having a wedge surface 58 in complementary engagement as at 60 with a wedge member 62.

Each wedge member 62 is an elongated block having one side thereof in diagonal face engagement as at 60 with the adjacent shoe 42 and the other side and the top thereof affording respectively vertical and horizontal surfaces in engagement as at E54 and 66 with a rubber pad 88 comprising angularly related walls or portions 78 and l2, said portion 'I8 being compressed between the top wall 22 of the bolster and the top of the wedge member 62, and the portion 'i2 being compressed between the vertical surface of the wedge member and the center rib 34 of the bolster, said rubber pad being preferably vulcanized to the associated wedge member 62. A portion of the center rib 34 may be cored away to form therein a longitudinal slot 'i4 to accommodate the flow of the resilient members 88, 53 under compression and to permit reaction of said members to be transmitted to the wedge members in the pockets 36, 36. It may also be noted that ample clearance is afforded below each of the distortable members 68, 68 and on opposite sides thereof as well as adjacent the associated friction shoe for such distortion which may occur under conditions of maximum distortion or flow of the resilient material when the shoes and wedge members are urged into their innermost positions during lateral movement of the bolster.

In the arrangement described, each resilient pad 68 is under such compression as to continually urge the associated wedge member outwiardly and downwardly into wedge engagement with the friction shoe and to maintain the wedge member in such engagement with the shoe at all times, whereby the shoe will be urged laterally of the bolster to maintain the friction wall 44 in engagement with the adjacent column. The pad 68 is so formed as to afford bearing against a substantial portion of the top and vertical surfaces of the associated wedge member 62 as well as the adjacent surfaces of the top wall and center rib of the bolster partly defining the pocket receiving the same. It will be seen that the resilient means 68, 68 as best seen in Figures 1 and 3, exert forces against the wedge means 62, 62 at points disposed in vertical alignment with the points of engagement of the wedge means with the shoes.

In the assembly of the friction device with the bolster, the wedge members and their associated resilient pads vulcanized thereto may be inserted within the pockets in the bolster, and thereafter the friction shoes may have their wedge surfaces positioned in engagement with the wedge surfaces on the wedge members and urged toward each other by means of a suitable tool, whereupon a pin may be inserted within the aligned openings "i6, 'I6 in the transverse walls 3Q and S2 of the bolster at each end thereof and through an opening 'i3 within the friction shoe for maintaining the friction unit in assembly, whereupon the bolster may be assembled with the side frames and the assembly pins removed.

In the modification illustrated in Figures 4 and 5, the side frame is fragmentarily shown inasmuch as it is substantially the same as that shown in Figure l, said frame comprising columns |82, |82 partially defining a bolster opening |06 which may have a widened lower portion (not shown) to permit the removal of the bolstered and the associated friction means therefrom substantially as in the previous modification of my invention. A plurality of bolster-supporting coil springs, diagrammatically indicated at Hi8, |88 (Figure 5) afford support for the bolster, generally indicated H8, said bolster being of box section having the top and bottom walls H2 and H3 merging with the side walls H4 and H5 and spaced inboard and outboard transverse walls HB and H3, said walls H2, H3 and H5 and H8 defining a transversely extending opening in the bolster at the end thereof pocketing a friction shoe |28 at each side thereof, said shoe being generally similar to that of the previous modification and come prising on the bottom thereof a horizontal surface |22 in slidable engagement as at |25; with a complementary surface |28 on the bottom wall H3 of the bolster, said shoe having on one side thereof a friction face for engagement as at |28 with the adjacent column-mounted wear plate |38, and on the opposite side thereof said shoe is provided with a wedge surface |3| for complementary engagement as at |32 with a surface at the adjacent end of an actuating wedge member |34.

The wedge member |34 extends transversely of the bolster and between the friction shoes and is in the form of a W-shaped plate having diagonal walls |38, |38 at opposite ends thereof diverging upwardly from the horizontal connecting wall |48 thereof and outwardly toward the adjacent side frame columns, said shoes affording support for said wedge member and having wedge engagement with the Walls |38, 438 there of as at |32, |32. Extending within the plate |34 and vulcanized thereto is a block |42 of resilient material having substantially the conformation of said plate with the opposite ends of said block extending over and having engagement with the tops of the diagonal walls |38, |38 of the plate, said block |42 being under compression between said walls |38, |58 and |48 of said plate and the top wall H2 and transverse walls H6 and HS of the bolster for operatively and continuously urging said plate downwardly into wedge engagement with the shoes at opposite ends thereof and thereby said shoes in opposite directions along the bottom wall of the bolster and into engagement with the columnmounted wear plates |30, |30. rI`he ends of the block exert forces against the wedge means |43 at points disposed in vertical alignment with the points of engagement of the wedge means with the shoes.

It may be noted from a consideration of Figures 4 and 5 that the distortable block |42 is formed with recesses |44, |44 in the top and sides thereof for such distortion which may occur under conditions of maximum distortion or now of the resilient material.

As in the previous modification, the bolster is provided at each side thereof with the inboard and outboard gibs |46 and |41 for guiding engagement with the adjacent column, the outboard gibs being of less depth than the widened lower portion (not shown) of the bolster opening to permit the removal of the bolster from the side frame.

In the assembly of the friction device with the bolster, the wedge member and its associated block |42 may be positioned within the transversely extending opening in the bolster, whereupon the friction shoes may be inserted in said opening and urged toward each other by a suitable tool to force the wedge member in an upward direction and to place the resilient block |34 under compression and thereafter pins may be inserted through aligned openings |48, i453 in each end of the transversely extending walls of the bolster and through an opening i5@ in the adjacent shoe in alignment therewith, the

`gastarse bolster then beingfassemblediwith the side frames and the pins removed to. allowV the. shoes to frictionallyv engagev the side frame columns-- It is to be understood that. I do. not wish tofbe limited byA the exactv embodiments of the device shown which are merely by way of illustration and not limitation as various and other forms of the device will, of course, be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit ofthe invention or the scope of the claims.

I. claim:

l. In a railway car truck, a side frame comprising spaced columns and an interveningy bolster opening; with a widened lower portion, a spring group on said. frame in said opening, a bolster" supported' from said group, pockets in opposite. sides of said bolster, friction units in respective pockets, each unit comprising a friction shoe in frictional engagement lwith the adjacent column; a wedge member having. a diagonal face on` one side thereof in complementary engagement with said shoe, and resilient members associated with respective wedge members and comprising distortable b-lockseach blockv having angularly arranged portions bearingv against the top-and theV other side of the associated wedge member and angularly arranged walls of said bolster, and an opening in one of said bolster walls through which said distortable blocks may flow against each other, said bolster having inboard and outboard. gibs for` interlocking engagement with each column, the outboard gibs being of less depth than said widened lower portion of saidY bolster opening whereby said bolster may be removed therefrom while said friction units remainl in normal assembledrelationship with the bolster.

2. In al railway car truck, a side frame comprising spaced columns and an intervening bolster openingaspring group on said frame in said opening, a bolster supported from said group, pockets in opposite sides of said bolster, friction units in respective pockets, each friction unit comprising a friction shoe in frictional engagement with the adjacent column, a wedge member having a diagonal face on one side thereof in complementary engagement with said shoe, and resilient members associated with respective wedge members and comprising distortable blocks each having angularly arranged portions bearing against the top and the other side of the associated wedge member and angularly arranged walls of said bolster, and an opening in one of said bolster walls through which said distortable y blocks may bear against each other.

3. In a railway car truck, a side frame comprising spaced columns and an intervening bolster opening, a spring group on said frame in said opening, a bolster supported from said group, pockets in opposite sides of said bolster, a friction shoe in each pocket in frictional engagement with the adjacent column, a wedge member having a diagonal face on one side thereof in complementary engagement with said shoe, and resilient means associated with said wedge member and operative to urge the same into said engagement with said shoe and thereby said shoe into frictional engagement with an adjacent column, said resilient means comprising a distortable member having angularly arranged portions compressed between the top and the other side of the wedge member and angularly arranged walls of said bolster.

4. In a truck, a pair of relatively movable members,- one of said members having spaced upright friction surfaces, ther other member' extending between` said surfaces and comprising spaced horizontal wallsand spaced vertical ywalls between said horizontal walls and defining an opening' through. said other member, a friction unit in said opening comprising a pair of spaced friction shoes slidably engaging one of said horizontal walls` and having frictional engagement with respective surfaces, a wedge member eX- tending between said shoes and having diagonal faces diverging toward said surfaces and complementally engaging said shoes, and a single lowabl'e resilient member compressed by and between said wedge member and the other of said horizontal walls and said vertical walls, said resilient member extending the full length of said 'wedge member between the same and said lastmentioned horizontal wall transversely of the bolster.

5. In a truck, a side frame comprising spaced vertical friction surfaces, a bolster spring-supported from the frame between said surfaces and comprising spaced top and bottom walls and spaced inboard and outboard walls defining an opening throughsaid bolster, a shoe disposed at each end of said opening in slidable nat-face engagement with said bottom wall and in frictiona-l engagement with the adjacent surface, a single member disposed in said opening between said shoes and ink wedge engagement therewith, anda continuous mass of flowable resilient material extending across the full top side ofv said member' and compressed by and betweenv the same and said top and. inboard and outboard walls;

G; Ina railway car truck, a side frame comprising spaced columns, a bolsterisupported from said frame between said columns, a pocket in each. side of said bolster, a friction shoe in each pocket, wedge means supported by said shoes and' in diagonal face engagement therewith, and resilient means compressed between each of said wedge means and angularly arranged walls of said pocket for urging said wedge means into said engagement with said shoes and thereby said shoes into frictional engagement with said columns, each of said resilient means comprising a member formed of a resilient material and having angularly arranged portions compressively stressed between said walls and the respective adjacent sides of said wedge means to urge said friction shoes into frictional engagement with the respective columns.

7. In a railway car truck, a side frame having spaced columns, a bolster spring-supported from the frame and comprising top, bottom, and vertical walls defining pockets at opposite sides of the bolster, friction shoes disposed in respective pockets and slidably engaging said bottom wall, wedge means between said shoes in wedge engagement therewith, and resilient means reacting between said wedge means and the other of said walls for urging said wedge means into said engagement with said shoes and said shoes against said bottom wall and in opposite directions against respective columns, said resilient means reacting through said wedge means against all of said shoes and exerting forces against said ywedge means immediately adjacent the .points of engagement of said wedge means with the respective shoes.

8. In a railway car truck, a side frame having spaced columns, a bolster spring-supported from the frame between said columns and comprising spaced generally horizontal walls, friction shoes disposed at opposite sides of the bolster between said walls in slidable engagement with one of said walls and in frictional engagement with respective columns, generally vertical abutment surfaces extending between said walls, Iwedge means between said shoes in wedge engagement therewith, and resilient means compressed between said abutment surfaces, the other of said walls, and said wedge means.

9` In a railway car truck, a side frame comprising spaced columns, a bolster spring-supported from said frame and comprising spaced substantially horizontal top and bottom walls, shoes disposed at opposite sides of said bolster between said walls and in frictional engagement with said bottom wall and respective columns, wedge means disposed between said walls intermediate said shoes and in wedge engagement with the shoes, vertically disposed abutment surfaces between said walls, and resilient means comprising a mass of distortable material compressed between said wedge means and said top wall and surfaces for urging said wedge means into said engagement with said shoes and thereby said shoes against said bottom wall and said columns.

10. In a railway car truck, a side frame comprising spaced columns, a bolster spring-supported from said frame between said columns, friction shoes disposed at opposite sides of the bolster and slidably seated on a horizontal wall thereof, lwedge means disposed between and in diagonal face engagement with said shoes, and resilient means compressed between angularly arranged walls of said bolster and said wedge means, said resilient means being formed of distortable material.

` 11. In a truck, a pair of relatively movable members, one of said members presenting spaced friction surfaces, the other member extending between said surfaces, friction shoes in engagement with respective surfaces and pocketed in said last-mentioned member and in slidable engagement therewith along a face extending substantially normal to said surfaces, wedge means between said shoes in wedge engagement therewith, and resilient means interposed and compressed between said wedge means and an opposed Iwall of said lastmentioned member, said resilient means being arranged to exert forces directly against said wedge means at points disposed in alignment in vertical planes extending longitudinally of said last-mentioned member with the points of engagement between said wedge means and said shoes.

12. In a railway car truck, a side frame comprising spaced columns, a bolster spring-supported from said frame between said columns, a pocket in each side of said bolster, a friction shoe in each pocket slidably seated on a wall of said pocket and having frictional engagement with the adjacent column, a wedge member having diagonal face engagement with said shoe, and resilient means compressed between angularly arranged walls of said pocket and said wedge member, said resilient means comprising a member of distortable material.

LEO A. LEHRMAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 716,294 Shallenberger Dec. 16, 1902 2,257,109 Davidson Sept. 30, 1941 2,295,553 Cottrell Sept. 15, 1942 2,333,921 Flesch Nov. 9, 1943 2,365,198 Lehrman Dec. 19, 1944 2,392,599 Light Jan. 8, 1946 2,422,201 Lehrman June 17, 1947 

